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Irving Park (Brown)
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I'm glad to have discovered Lincoln Restaurant because it's the best for weekend brunches. After moving out of Lincoln Park, I was really missing Clarke's and Nookie's, so Lincoln Restaurant is a good substitute. The lady who's usually in there is really nice (I think she's an owner) and our waitresses have been really nice, too. For some reason the out-dated decor and all the names on the menu really crack me up.
The first time I went here, it had been a long night before and I really needed a bloody mary and a skillet. The bloody marys here are pretty lacking, but at least they have booze! (Even cosmos are on the menu, but if you've seen this place, the thought of having a cosmo here is completely ridiculous). The skillet, however, did not disappoint. I had the one that was all veggies and cheese - SO GOOD. I would order this every time, except I wanted to try a few other things.
Some stuff on the menu other than the bloodies miss the mark (eggs benedict for one - my boyfriend got it once and it was pretty subpar) but most of the things I've tried here are really good! I tried a breakfast wrap that was really good, and their potatoes are so good. Last weekend, I ventured out of the breakfast section of the menu and tried lunch and it was pretty good. I had the chicken fajita pita with minestrone soup and was happy with it. Seems like if you stick to their basic diner food, you're good.
Bottom line: the portions are good, the people are nice, and the food is solid.
Yes the decor is quite out dated and insults your intelligence and personality. But the food is great if you know what to order in the morning. I've been only there for breakfast but the skillets are remarkable. The omelets look huge but they seem to use way too many eggs for my taste. The Alabama skillet (which is filled with chorizo and jalapenos - so no idea how it's associated with the state) has to be one of the best skillets I've ever had in my 29 years. The service couldn't be much finer as the hokey diner waitresses are overly sweet and quite attentive.
Stay away from the bloody mary's but defiinitely take them up on their 34 oz mugs for fountain drinks - good god is that a pleasant monstrosity. The 50 year old private parking lot is a convenient accomplice as well.
I could definitely go here again for a late Sunday morning breakfast, which is what I experienced today. The omelette and skillet the my friend and I ordered were definitely on the plus size. Be prepared for leftover breakfast for dinner if you're a normal eater! They were both very flavorful and large (can't say that enough). When the meal was served I commented "we're gonna' need a couple of boxes.....apiece!"
If you like soft drinks for breakfast (which I do), the mega-growlers (their idea of a large size--think 7-11 Mega Big Gulp size) will take care of your sugar-filled, caffeine craving in the morning. I don't know if there were free refills, but no matter what the answer, I wouldn't have been able to order another unless I would've stayed through dinner.
The ambiance is your typical mom-and-pop style country kitchen type restaurant you'd find along the highways of America that's been air-dropped into the middle of the city. So if you're looking for a high-class establishment, this isn't it. The service is extremely fast from the kitchen. In less than 10 minutes, we had our meals. Surprisingly our drinks took a little longer.
I can't speak as to the lunch and dinner offerings, except the menu looked like it had enough choices for any time of the day. Great dedicated parking lot as well.
The Lincoln has a huge menu, fair prices, solid food, and a mostly weird staff. I've had mostly great experiences there, mostly on groggy Sunday mornings, and I'll continue to suggest it to hungover Chicagoans everywhere. I especially like their fried chicken and pulled pork with crispy onion straws.
The best part of this restaurant is the waitress staff who are polite, friendly and helpful. The owner and his son are pleasant and friendlyand the food is standard diner fare: THE BAD NEWS IS: the owner's wife. She is the unhappiest person you could want to meet and she is on a quest to make everyone else just as unhappy.
She is rude and controlling and she is cheap. I have seen her water the coffee if it sits too long, refuse extra napkins and complain if you are given a "doggie bag" container she feels is too large. Do not ask for or expect a refill on your coffee unless your cup is empty.(she watches things like that and call the server on it). Go figure!! Oh, don't expect more than one refill.
Stay away from the desserts - I've seen some in the case for as long as two weeks!
Don;t expect her to smile and ask how your food was let alone say thank you. Not gonna happen.
There is another woman who works some night and she is very nice - it is easy to tell them apart - she smiles!!
I go there because I have a friend who works there - if she leaves so do I.'
You know you have a great friend when you text her and tell her you are feeling lonely and she texts you back in a second saying she'll meet you for breakfast asap. Now where to go... we picked this place solely because we didn't want to have to wait to eat (which on a Sunday is the norm), we wanted to do cheap and we wanted to do fast. This place is close to both our places and they have a parking lot, so Lincoln is where we went. I got my usual breakfast fare, a veggie egg white omelet, no cheese. They don't have fruit to sub for potatoes but were kind enough to give me tomato slices instead. The omelet was OK but not so great that I want to go back and the coffee lacked something too. I did snag a waffle fry from my friend and that was awesome. But that could have been because I don't normally allow myself to eat fries, not because theirs were out of this world. Oh, I saw the scary lady everyone talks about in their reviews. Her hair looked like she used three cans of Aqua Net to achieve the unnatural, helmet like shape that it was and her eyes- cold as ice! Our waitress, Heather was very friendly and attentive. The whole experience lacked something and I won't be back.
I have a little bit of a problem with any place that has such a big, obnoxious logo of Abraham Lincoln that is so poorly depicted all I can think of everytime I see it is Billy Crystal's character from "The Princess Bride":
http://images1.fanpop....
(Well, that and the fact that I have a little bit of an aversion towards sketchy old diners with rickety booths, creepy, broken tile "wall art" and a Civil War theme all rolled into one.) hmm, who knew!
For breakfast I ordered two eggs, scrambled. This came with bacon, potatoes o'brien and 2 biscuits. The eggs were edible, but thats about the most I can say about them. The potatoes were vile, and tasted like they came from a grill that hadnt been cleaned since the Civil War. (I know they are working that theme hard but come on!)
However, the coffee, bacon and biscuits are what salvaged this review from being 1 or 2 star. The bacon is thick cut and just fabulous - not too greasy & not too crisp. The biscuits were warm, fluffy and perfect - I was truly shocked. They were probably the best I have ever had in the midwest.
I guess if you are a fan of the old skool diners then you might like this place. I am not, but i would consider going again if only for those biscuits and bacon.
Maybe it's just my love of diners, but I really do enjoy the Lincoln restaurant. I have been coming here since I was a kid, and the place has not changed a bit. Neither has the menu.
For breakfast you have your Omelets, pancakes, and bacon and eggs. For lunch and dinner you have your burgers, meatloaf, hot sandwiches and fried chicken.
Not only has the decor and menu stayed the same, I would swear that they have employed the same wait staff that used to serve me and my members only jacket in the 80's.
There is nothing healthy here, just a cozy joint with wonderful comfort food.
The Lincoln Restaurant is a long-time favorite of many North Siders; good food, generous portions, nice folks. It's where you go when you want comfort food, and can be sure you'll get it in good quantities. AND they have a bar, so you can get a drink as well. Add to this the restaurant's parking lot (access from Irving Park) -- so you avoid the meters. And the charm -- old-time waitresses and a hokey menu.
Built on a foundation of good food, all that adds up to a top rating.
As with any neighborhood restaurant, don't expect what you'd get at a
steakhouse; this is the kind of fare you find at good places that operate with short-order cooks in the kitchen. (Except here you'll find more variety on the menu than at most such establishments).
They also have a great back room with unusual activities most nights:
a banjo ensemble, a College of Complexes, other activities you'd never find anywhere else.
The drawing of Lincoln on the sign in front? That's strictly "old school" --
a modern restaurant would have the picture electronically copied, line for line. Nothing special. But years ago, when that sign was made, you'd hire someone who you thought could do the job, and then -- you settled for what you got. Now the sign is a classic: you ask your friends to meet you at that resturant with the picture of Lincoln that doesn't look like Lincoln. Even people who've never been there will remember that picture!
The place is a treasure; the unique kind of place that people will talk about in years to come -- worth a visit.
Rarely have I thought an establishment has designs to kill me, but I feel as if that may well be the mission of Lincoln Restaurant.
It all starts with the creepy and inaccurate painting of Lincoln on its Marquee. That sign is almost screaming 'stay away,' but oh no, I have indulged in what amounts to food-based self-destructive behavior within these walls far too many times.
The food isn't average diner food, it's a notch below. Now, I'm not looking for delicacies from a diner, but there is a definitely a lot left on the table (literally and figuratively--you're not gonna finish it because it's not great, and because they give you more food than any person can/should ever eat) when it comes to anything off the menu here.
I've mixed and matched, trying to find something tasty, from egg salad to burgers, from salads to soups, nothing has ever gotten the job done. Although, I will say, the desserts are alright, and every time I went dessert was 100% free, I didn't even have to ask, just all of a sudden there's a slice of cake!
The massive amount of below average food, and the guilt of knowing what i have just done to myself adds up to me just feeling terrible after eating here.
So if that creepy Lincoln painting is trying to lure you in, close your eyes and run by, it's for your own good.
The Lincoln Restaurant, like me, is in need of a bit of a makeover.
But, also like, me, can still deliver! (you know, figuratively speaking, of course!)
Lincoln Restaurant serves the best omelettes ever - other breakfast joints/diners/etc. do fair… Read more »
This restaurant is bad.
My friend ordered a tenderloin here, and the waitress told him not to get a tenderloin because they don't taste good. He ordered something else, but that wasn't good either.
'nuff said.
There is no way for me to go to this restaurant again - ever! I feel bad giving them 1 star, so I gave them 2 because the service of the staff - staff was friendly and that's only OK thing about that place!!! Everything else is :(
(nice place for senior citizens probably)
Lincoln Restaurant is kind of a trip. They've updated the menus, so there's no Confederate Flags on them anymore. They name their omlettes after Civil War themes like Merrimac and Dixie to name a couple. General Custer....etc.
Good solid breakfast food. The menu's huge and there's something for everyone, but I recommend sticking with breakfast fare here. That's what they're best at serving.
What makes this patriotic place a trip in that on Monday nights, the Windy City Jammers roll in around 7pm and set up in the connected Lincoln Lodge bar and all of a sudden, while you're enjoying your scrambled eggs with a HUGE ass and cheap Heinekin draft, banjo music appears out of nowhere. I remember the first Monday I was there many years ago, we just all stopped and looked at each other as though the restaurant was haunted and the banjo music was conjoured by...uh...whatever... So we went next door and saw a circle of banjos and washboards being played by a bunch of older gentlemen. Apparantly they've been doing this Monday night thing at the Lincoln Lodge for decades. So, instead of a drum circle, there's a banjo circle!
One Monday we were eating here and some jackass decides to try to dine 'n dash. He was too wasted to move fast enough so every time he'd try, the waitress reminded him he had to pay for his meal, so he'd sit down. She tells the owner who finally decides to let him get outside the door, at which time the owner comes running out with a fucking pistol in his hand and holds the guy at gunpoint until the cops arrived. It was like being on the set of a movie or something.
Um, I don't know exactly why people are saying the food is greasy, I mean, it's not... I've never had any food that was greasy there. The fries were never greasy.
The fries are awesome too, btw. They're criss-cross fries.
There's a few bad things about this place:
1. Appetizers cost the same as the entrees.
2. The owner is ABSOLUTELY a b*tch on wheels.
3. When ordering an entree, you have to choose between getting soup or fries. Every place I've ever gone to has been soup AND fries.
4. Always having to say no to the dessert tray the waitresses are, I guess, forced to bring to the table after you're done eating, lest fear the wrath of the b*tch with the huge wig.
Other than that, good place!
I know why Connan and co would put this place for a late night snack: The portions are huge and delicious. Everything is good here, it really is!
Hope you are thirsty when you order a large Coke!
And you can have a drink in the morning.
I always appreciate a greasy diner breakfast the morning after some serious drinking. So Sunday morning of St. Patrick's Day weekend found us at Lincoln Restaurant.
The food was what I needed; a huge serving of "O'Brien potatoes", a super greasy three cheese omelet and raisin toast.
But the menu itself was creepy. I feel strange ordering omelets named after dead generals, and I could not handle the irony of the "Gettysburg burger" Really, Gettysburg and charred meat? Nothing says breakfast like the American Civil War.
We also had the luck of getting a waitress who managed to make us feel guilty for everything we ordered or asked for. Eventually I cowered in my floral booth corner and ate my meal asking for nothing else.
Overall, I most likely will not come here again.
I heart Lincoln Restaurant. You almost wonder how this place isn't attached to a truck stop, and why aren't the waitresses named Flo or Alice? That being said, the waitresses are quick, sweet and on top of things. The menu is ridiculously large with something to suit everyone. I've been here for both breakfast and lunch, and have always been happy with the service and the food. Portions are enormous and inexpensive and the food is made to order super-quick.
Things of note:
-The pancakes are delicious and filling on their own
-When asked what size soda, be aware that a large really means enough to satiate a group of 4.
-Try the dessert menu - the dessert nachos are incredible and enough for at least 3 people
FOUR DAYS AND SEVEN MINUTES AGO...
I went forth to Lincoln Restaurant for a breakfast, conceived with love, based on the proposition that all skillets are created delicious.
What ensued was a great civil war within, testing whether my stomach, or any stomach so accustomed to good food, could long endure an oily bland mess of burnt potatoes, rubbery cheese, and overcooked eggs complete with shards of eggshell. This skillet and I met on a great battlefield of war. So I have come to yelp to dedicate my 300th review, as the final resting place of my appetite, which gave its life so that my curiosity to eat at a president-themed restaurant might live.
But in a larger sense, I cannot dedicate, cannot consecrate, cannot hallow this ground which also sells lotto tickets and cigarettes by the way. Rather, let us dedicate ourselves to the great task remaining before us, that we here resolve that my appetite shall NOT have died in vain, that all of yelpdom, shall have a new birth, and that reviews of the unreviewed, the praising of the worthy, and the slamming of the craptastic by the people, of the people, and for the people, shall not perish from this earth!
GOD BLESS YELP-MERICA!!!
Several months ago my son and I went to Lincoln Restaurant to grab a quick bite after a long day. My expectations were low, but still ...
Every. Single. Time. We drive past the Lincoln [which is just about every day] my son and I have the following conversation, which perfectly sums up our experience of dining there.
Ace: Hey Mom?
Me: Yes?
Ace: Do you remember the time we ate at that restaurant with the picture of George Bush on it?
Me. That's Abraham Lincoln, baby.
Ace: Oh yeah. Do you remember the time we ate at that restaurant with the picture of Abraham Lincoln on it?
Me: Yes, Ace, unfortunately I do.
Ace: Yeah, that place was GROOOOOOOSSSSSSSS!
Gross, indeed.
This is not mind-blowingly tasty or inventive food, nor is the atmosphere anything approaching fancy, but Lincoln Restaurant does offer:
*the variety of a diner
*generous servings of comfort food
*attentive servers
*great prices
*laidback atmosphere
Where else can you find a martini for $6? We were happy with our 2 meals plus martini for $30 including tip.
This place is awesome! I love the weird, vaguely offensive Civil War theme menu items, and the decor makes you feel like you're hanging out in someone's swanky basement rumpus room circa 1964.
The food is standard diner fare. Seriously, people complaining about how greasy the food is need to check themselves. Honestly, when you looked at the crazy huge sign with a giant Abe Lincoln face on it, what kind of establishment did you think it was? When you went inside and saw the wood paneling on the walls, did you immediately question if this was a Zagat's rated restaurant? When you read the menu and saw an omelet called Custer's Last Stand, did you think "This will surely fit in with my macrobiotic diet. My personal trainer will be so pleased!" COME ON, PEOPLE!
I decided to be adventurous and order the Chicken and Biscuits, and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. I mean, it was still diner food, but it tasted good and it was $8 for an obscenely huge portion. Also, the large sodas come in a gigantic Big Gulp sized tankard, which is amazing. I cleaned my plate and then went home and fell into a coma for three hours.
The only disappointing thing is they don't have a dish called "The Emancipation Pork-lamation". Sad. Don't steal that idea from me, Lincoln Restaurant.
Seriously one of the worst places I have every eaten. It's an average priced place with revolting food. I have had breakfast, lunch and dinner here (because I work nearby, ugh) and everything is terrible. It's the worst sort of greasy spoon. Seriously, save yourself the indigestion and just skip this place entirely. For good food nearby, check out The Brown Trout 1 block down.
If you do not like the Lincoln Restaurant, you do not like America.
An entire section of the menu is dedicated to omelets named after Civil War generals. This is the greatest and best menu in these United States.
You go to this place for cheap, bad-for-you food and a tankard of pop. You go for breakfast all day. You go to hang out with the taxi drivers and alcoholics and alcoholic taxi drivers.
As my father would say, "sit down, shut up, and eat."
God bless the Lincoln Restaurant. God bless America.
Haute cuisine this is not, so don't let the four stars fool you into thinking this is Bongo Room or brunch at North Pond. Yet the Lincoln Head Restaurant, as I am wont to call it, promises big portions of reliable diner fare. I can always count on The Merrimac or The Monitor skillet to nurse away whatever ails me. I'd stick to breakfast items, although I've never actually eaten anything else there.
The coffee is average at best, but somehow it seems to taste better with Abe watching over while I gnaw away at my bacon.
Plus, they have a tavern (!) - the Lincoln Lodge - in a separate room off to the side that feels like it contains a lot more naugahyde than it probably actually does. Thursday & Friday comedy night in the Lodge is, more often than not, very entertaining.
Food - 3 stars (standard diner fare)
Coffee - 3 stars
Ambiance - 3.5 stars (in a kitschy, but not heavy-handedly so, diner way)
Service - 4 stars (always friendly familiar faces)
Lincoln Lodge - 4 stars (aspiring comics and "big ass" beers)
Intangibles - 4 stars
For some reason I keep coming back here. Maybe its because I know if I need to buy goofy knick-knacks, lotto tickets, or mentos I can do so at the cash register.
Oh, and if you enter the restaurant through the back entrance (from the parking lot) as you walk down the long wood paneled hallway into the bar, you'll think you are in a Quentin Tarantino film.
For the meatiest cheesiest omelettes and for the hostess with the biggest hair in Chicago, this is worth checking out.*
*Also referred to as "the fat peoples restaurant" by a member of my family, who, at the age of 5, walked in to The Lincoln and proclaimed, "It smells like fat people in here!".
my kids and i stumbled across the lincoln restaurant while on a walk. a sign in their window says KIDS EAT FREE, TUES & SUN AFTER 4:30. the following rainy sunday, i didn't feel inspired to make dinner so we slipped on our puddle boots and made a bee line to the lincoln.
we seated ourselves in a booth in the south dining room. a table of older, whispering, somewhat menacing looking men were seated in the middle dining room. an older couple was seated behind us and a young lady with a young girl were seated in another booth in front of us. the older couple look tired and were talking about " the consequences" and "what people like us can hope for". the young lady (could be the mom, could be the nanny) and the young girl were giggling and happily playing a game - i spy maybe? i got that strange feeling like we'd stepped into an indie movie set about chicago circa '79...
then i realized it's because it's relatively quiet and relaxed in the restaurant... and that i felt "present" and at ease and was noticing the other customers and catching a word here and there of their conversations.... almost like analog twitter....
my kids weren't completely overstimulated, busily coloring in some coloring books i brought with us and when the kids did speak/laugh a little too loud, no one gave us the stink eye.
i'm married to a civil war history buff and he got a kick out of reciting some mini history trivia re: each entree to the kids - old dominion, the alabama, the monitor, general custer, gettysburg. the kids love to read books and to be read to and so they got some additional bonding time with the huz...
the food arrived quickly after we ordered. the kids loved the corn dogs and chicken tender meals w/ cross cut fries and milk. they loved the toys and lollipops they received after the meal. (the kids meals are usually $6 each and are adult sized strangely enough. the kids menu also has a grilled cheese, a mostaciolli, and a hamburger) the huz ordered a bbq pork sandwich and i ordered the meatloaf. the food is standard diner fare in enormous portion sizes. the meatloaf's a little salty for my taste, but again, it hits my comfort food spot. our waitress was very friendly with the kids, but not condescending. she's friendly, but professional.
anyway, we'll be back to eat at the lincoln. not necessarily because of the food but because our total dining experience was very good. we also felt good supporting a local business within walking distance (though they do have free parking in their back lot). if you're a parent in the neighborhood and you find yourself uninspired to cook some random tuesday or sunday night, i don't think you'll be too disappointed after a visit to the lincoln.
I was excited when I moved to the North Center area to check out Lincoln Restaurant. From the outside it looked like the type of place that would have an excellent breakfast. I have been twice, both times for breakfast and have not been impressed. The service was fine but the food was just ordinary. I might give it a try for lunch or dinner but count me out for breakfast at the Lincoln Restaurant.
this place is stuck in time. when you see the beehive, you know you've come home. picture 3 massive rooms, jaw-dropping carpeting, gargantuan portions, various hung-over people, uber friendly waitresses, stupid cheap prices, and the best skillet hashbrowns (the skillets are all great) and plate lunches.
this place has not changed in my lifetime. when i think "traditional american diner"
i go here.
*they have live stand-up shows and some other strange things in the evenings and a full bar, too. they open SUPER early.
My boyfriend's friends LOVE going here for hangover brunches since the portions are gigantic, relatively cheap, and the food's decent and not fancy. As a vegetarian, it's an OK place--they have omelets and hashes for breakfast but they're not exactly inspired. There's lots of fried, cheese and starch, and oftentimes all three in one dish. The salads are just a cut above standard diner fare, but if you order the yogurt side it comes out to you on a faux-crystal dish on a pedestal covered in granola, which prompted one of our friends to pronounce it "Fancy Feast for People!"
Oh, and the hangover part--you can get a stein of beer sized for a troll. It's like a glass bucket that just happens to have a handle, but you might still need two hands to lift the thing. I suspect this is the real reason said friends love the Lincoln.
I admit it...I like Lincoln Restaurant.
Yes, it is totally old fashioned.
Yes, it is always empty.
Yes, the owner is a b*tch on wheels.
Yes, the food is super cheap.
I come here when I don't want to spend $25 for an entree.
I come here when I don't want to get all dressed up.
I come here when I don't want to see anyone.
I come here when I want simple American comfort food.
I come here because it's close to my place.
It serves it's purpose and I like it. So there!
You know that weird disease, synesthesia, where people feel sounds and hear textures? When I go the Lincoln Restaurant I think I have it.
BROWN.
That's the totality of my experience here. Brown uniforms. Brown decor. Brown menus. Brown food.
Yup, that sums it up. Brown.
I've been here a couple of times. The first time wasn't anything remarkable, but this past Friday, I was in the area getting some work done on the car. I ordered one of the omelets named after a Civil War general. I forget which general, but I never forget an omelet. It had bacon, spinach, onion, and swiss cheese. It was quite good. Inside Lincoln Restaurant, it's perpetually 1978. For all the non-smoking going down in the city, Lincoln Restaurant still sells smokes at the cash register and lotto tickets, if you're feeling extra low-down.
The coffee was also really good last time, maybe because I was up early on my day off.
Apparently a lot of Yelpers don't understand the charm of the Lincoln Restaurant. The poorly drawn Lincoln portrait is all part of the charm. The food is diner quality. I do enjoy their omelets and there is nothing wrong with a root beer the size of Delaware. Overall, I would not expect miracles from the food. They have an old fashioned lunch counter and plenty of dated decor. This is exactly why I love it! Don't miss the Lincoln Lodge on weekends! (also, lottery tickets and snickers on the way out)
I have no idea how this place stays in buisness. The only thing I can say about the food here is that the portions are large. I love diners, but this place gives them all a bad name. Diner food can be good....look at some of my other reviews. I wish I could give this place zero, or negative, stars. I can't even say that the service was all that great, unless you count McDonalds speed as good.
I really want to love this place. First of all, I am a fan of Lincoln. I've been to where he was born, raised, lived, died, and buried. My mom is a fan of his,too and where this weird obsession began. So this place had so much hope. C'mon, there's a huge head of Lincoln above the restaurant, and it's on Lincoln, and we are in the Land of Lincoln, could it get any better???
So I took my mom here for Valentines, since what better day not to come here? There's parking in the back and the entrance from the back is thru a long and mysterious hallway. I love it. When you walk in, there's Lincoln crap everywhere. I actually wanted more, but I will be satisfied for now.
The menu seemed promising. There wasn't a clear cut thing to order other than the funnel cake sundae which they were out of!!! :( So I got an omelet, I forgot what General I ordered, but it had cheese, bacon, sausage, and a weird confetti of vegetables. Yes, the omelet was fluffy, but so gross. It wasn't seasoned, it was greasy not in a good way, and I was so sad. I wanted to like it. The potatoes with it were sad. They all looked like rejects off a cutting board.
I see why you need a 32oz of beer here. My mom had a turkey sandwich and that was even sad. The layers of meat were cut thick and thin, like more rejects, and the bread seem stale.
Since it was Valentines Day, we got desert. We wanted the funnel cake, to hopefully make up for the rest of the meal. But so they out so we got cake. The cheesecake is why I am giving this place 2 stars rather then 1. It was pretty good, covered in chocolate and caramel. My mom got Dobos Torte, and the buttercream had seperated in the layers = gross. Other than the cheesecake, I wouldn't order anything else on the menu. And you need that frickin beer!
The overall look of the place is an Eisenhower era diner. Not much to look at, super dark and sorta tacky inside. But...the skillets man, the skillets. Holy mackerel, the skillets are worth making a special trip here for. No patio, no breakfast drinks, no frills. Service is decent. Plus the burnt-out Betty chain smoking & playing video poker on the bar is, for some reason, sorta charming.
Try the skillets.
3 Words: Monday. Night. Banjos. Damn, straight!
We got their early to get the food out of the way and just drink through the night in all it's honky glory (music starts at seven). The food (omelets) was good, huge, cheap (2 omelets easily gets 4 meals, plus two beers and a fucking big-ass stein of soda for less than 30 bucks, before tip).
Music starts, it's awesome, everything I'd hoped it'd be... I'd just heard banjo, but they had a genuine Dixie band... banjo, trumpet, washboard, all that.
The place was packed with old people, which I kinda dug... food was good and pretty cheap, service was fucking amazing (almost to the point of being annoying, but not quite.)
update: I threw up the next morning. Like, more than I ate. If it was less, I might be able to let it go, but...
If I do go back, which isn't out of the question, it'll be for beer and banjo. Not food.
Absolutely love the charm of this place. The waitresses working are so charming and helpful, and the decor feels so relaxing. It just feels like "down home" here in the middle of chicago. I feel like a kid again coming to this place. Absolutely love it.
Attended my first annual Lincoln's birthday breakfast (his 200th)...'in the Land of Lincoln, on Lincoln's birthday, at the Lincoln Restaurant.' as it's said. 60 people. 1 really good waitress.
Total truckstop type place (ala Channyn W.) Huge menu with nice variety and a comfy dining room.… Read more »
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